Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Globally revered for her economic leadership, commitment to giving back and personal resilience, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala draws on a highly distinguished career as Nigeria’s first woman finance minister, first woman foreign minister, managing director of the World Bank and author of Reforming the Unreformable.

Globally revered for her economic leadership, commitment to giving back and personal resilience, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala draws on a highly distinguished career as Nigeria’s first woman finance minister, first woman foreign minister, managing director of the World Bank and author of Reforming the Unreformable.

As a managing director of the World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala led the operational activities of the most important development finance institution in the world in South Asia, Europe and Central Asia, and Africa. During her two-term tenure as finance minister, the first woman to hold the job, Okonjo-Iweala developed economic reform programs that tripled Nigeria’s growth rate, facilitated an unprecedented $30 billion debt relief for Nigeria from the Paris Club and led to the country becoming the largest economy in Africa. While enshrining transparency in government finances and fighting corruption, she tread on the toes of powerful vested interests. Today, she is the subject of personal and political attacks and harassment by these same people, but she continues her strong, principled stance against corruption. Audiences will benefit from Okonjo-Iweala’s unmatched experience and personal courage as she tackles issues as wide ranging as leadership in difficult economic and political environments, what it truly means to fight corruption and how to steer economic management in an uncertain and volatile world. She also focuses on commodity price volatility, energy policy and related climate change issues and their global impact. She deals with problems of poverty and inequality and their relationship to the universally adopted Sustainable Development Goals. A remarkable and fearless woman, Okonjo-Iweala is a committed leading thinker on gender issues and protecting the disadvantaged while deeply dedicated to serving others and aiding developing countries. For her work, she has received worldwide acclaim, having been included on FORTUNE’s 2015 list of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Forbes’ 2015 and 2014 lists of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and TIME’s 2014 list of the “100 Most Influential People.” In addition, she was placed on the 2016 Power With Purpose Roll List, a prestigious award which recognizes outstanding and influential women with leadership who have helped engineer recognizable change in their community and the world.

Speeches

TED: How Africa Can Keep Rising

TED: Want to Help Africa? Do Business Here

TED: Aid Versus Trade

The World Economy: A Conversation with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala draws on an exceptional career to share engaging, authentic and unparalleled wisdom on the current global economic landscape. A fierce defender and agent of good governance policy for developing nations, Okonjo-Iweala was unrelenting to those who were determined to see her policies fail, which in turn sustained national growth rates and achieved major debt relief for her country. In this lively conversation, she astutely identifies the vital trends, risks and opportunitiesthat are shaping the world economy today and shares her thoughts on future global development. She speaks expertly on topics from weak economic systems and institutions, to the global implications of economic expansion in developing countries, to issues of macroeconomic and public finance management, infrastructure and job creation. Her presentations are customized to suit the needs of each audience.

Giving Back

A woman of remarkable courage, compassion and authenticity, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala left her prestigious role at the World Bank in a committed pursuit to benefit, empower and create a better future for the Nigerian people and their economy. During her tenure as Nigeria’s foreign minister and two-term tenure as finance minister—the first woman to hold either position—she led widespread change to reform the largest economy in Africa. Okonjo-Iweala’s father raised her to value improving human lives above all else. Her career is defined by her commitment to giving back and her selfless dedication to helping others. Through personal narratives, she passionately explores her steadfast commitment to the protection of children and immunizations for developing countries, gender issues and the challenges facing girls and women across the globe, and powerful and inspiring visions for global economic development.

Reforming the Unreformable

As the chief economic leader of a fiscally decentralized government and a fierce defender and agent of good governance policy for developing nations, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala tells the story of a time when the worldview of Nigeria was seemingly hopeless and how, by working with the economic team, she subsequently turned around the largest economy in Africa. Through storylines of dedication and committed teamwork, she tells the narrative of development economics in action. With unmatched insights from the front lines of battle, she explores weak economic systems and institutions, global implications of economic expansion in developing countries and what it takes to spearhead negotiations for widespread structural reforms.

Energy and Oil: A Global Analysis

For years, the GDP of many nations has been dependent on oil. In the face of a global energy and oil pricing meltdown, as well as increased slowdown in China, what can the financial world expect? And how can they prepare for what might happen next? Earning worldwide acclaim for her leadership on the finances of the oil- and gas-dependent economy of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala brings unique qualifications to tackle these crucial questions. She focuses on the global impact of increased commodity price volatility, energy policy and related climate change issues. She is an adept speaker on issues of macroeconomic and public finance management, infrastructure development, job creation and the challenges of economic development. Okonjo-Iweala provides judicious analysis and thoughtful insight on the most urgent trends shaping these issues.